The Price of Forgiveness
by Peppercat
Summary: Romance, adventure and and a bit of drama when the new DaDa teacher is an old friend of The Marauderers ~Written before OotP~
1. Chapter 1

The Price of Forgiveness  
  
A low murmur filled the Great Hall as the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry students prepared to have their very first dinner of the year. The enormous room glowed under a clear starry night that could be seen from the enchanted ceiling.  
  
After the Sorting, the headmaster gave his traditional short speech; it said something like this:  
  
"I welcome you all, students and educators, back to our beloved castle. I'm sad to inform, though, that it seems our new Defense against Dark Arts teacher will not be here to-"  
  
"To see the Sorting, but won't definitely miss dinner this very special night" said a female voice from behind.  
  
Everyone in the room turned their attention to the woman that stood in front of the open doors that led to the Great Hall.  
  
She was a short slim woman, with dark brown curls that hung to her shoulders. She had long eyelashes that covered her dark brown eyes, but nobody could tell from their seat. She was wearing a dark blue robe that made her olive skin look pale.  
  
This woman's name was Gabrielle.  
  
"I'm so delighted to welcome Miss Gabrielle Fortunic, our new Defense against Dark Arts teacher" Dumbledore said after a pause.  
  
Gabrielle walked to her seat in the long staff table. She let Dumbledore introduce her to the students and the school's staff; she thanked and sat down smiling.  
  
She had an ugly smile. It looked fake, but nobody in that room really cared; except for one person: Severus Snape.  
  
  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione were the first to arrive to their first Defense against Dark Arts class the next day. Hermione, excited about being named a Prefect, had made her friends wake up early and be ready for classes before everyone else.  
  
Gabrielle looked at her students and recognized the boy with the scar in his head. She smiled.  
  
"Good morning Miss Fortunic" Hermione said right before walking to her seat.  
  
"Good morning Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter; how nice to see you again Harry" Gabrielle said making Harry stop dead in his tracks.  
  
"Good morning miss" Harry said "er. have we, have we met before?" He asked.  
  
"Yes, we have" she answered standing in front of her desk "but the last time I saw you, you were no more than nine months old"  
  
At that moment, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil entered the room along with five more Gryffindors. They took Gabrielle's attention, so Harry just took his seat. He kept thinking, though, about what she had just told him.  
  
"Harry, do you realize this woman knew your parents?" Hermione asked Harry in a low voice.  
  
"I do. I want to ask her how she knew them, and. if she can tell me anything about them" he said looking at Gabrielle.  
  
She winked at him and smiled.  
  
"We will talk" she mouthed to him and resumed attending the more students that came in. 


	2. Chapter 2

POF-chapter 2  
  
Harry crossed the Great Hall and went downstairs that unusually warm evening. He was looking for the person that had promised to talk to him. He was looking for Professor Fortunic.  
  
He had already looked in her office and all the places Hermione had told him she might be. Now, running out of options, he headed to the dungeon. Amazingly, he found her coming out of it.  
  
"Harry Potter! What a surprise. Are you looking for Professor Snape? He's right here in the dungeon" she said although she knew he was really looking for her.  
  
"No, Professor. I was, I was looking for you, actually" he answered.  
  
"Oh, then I guess you want to hear about your parents, am I right?" she said walking out.  
  
"Yes. I was wondering if you could please tell me what you knew about them" Harry said walking along with her.  
  
"Very well, I will of course"  
  
As they walked to her office, Gabrielle told Harry a few things she knew about their late best friends. She told him how she had met Lily Evans her first year at Hogwarts and James Potter in her second, along with Remus Lupin, Martha Sullivan, Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black.  
  
"So you know my godfather?" Harry asked smiling unconsciously.  
  
Gabrielle looked hard at him and then out through the window.  
  
"Yes, I did know him, unfortunately" she said half angrily.  
  
Harry was taken aback.  
  
"She doesn't know the truth about my parents' death" Harry thought "Should I tell her?"  
  
"I'm sorry Harry, it seems I surprised you, I thought you knew a bit more about. oh my! Look at the time; you better hurry unless you want Mr. Filch to catch you out of bed. Here, I'll make you permission" she said not leaving even a trace of anger in her voice.  
  
Harry took the piece of parchment and left. He wasn't heading to his room though, but to Professor Dumbledore's office.  
  
Albus Dumbledore looked down at his desk and back again to Harry.  
  
"Hmmm." he exclaimed while walking to the window "You see, Harry, Gabrielle Fortunic is a very. is a person who does not change her mind so easily. I've tried explaining to her what really happened, I'm talking about being Peter Pettigrew who betrayed your parents, not your godfather Sirius, but she won't listen to me, or anybody else."  
  
"But, why? Why wouldn't she listen to you, professor?"  
  
"Because. she believes in someone who won't tell her the truth" he answered after a pause "or is afraid of telling her he was wrong"  
  
"Who would that be, professor?" Harry asked getting more and more interested.  
  
Dumbledore thought hard before answering.  
  
"Professor Snape" he said, somehow a bit heavily "and probably, he won't change his mind now, not so near." he trailed off sinking in his own thoughts.  
  
"So near what, professor?" Harry asked curiously.  
  
"Oh! Of course, sorry" he said awakening "so near their wedding" 


	3. Chapter 3

POF-chapter 3  
  
The small pond showed a large black dog hurrying along the streets of Hogsmeade. It disappeared from view when it turned into a dark alley, but the witch that had been watching it didn't bother to cast another spell on the mirror-like water.  
  
"Kerrigor!" she called turning away from the pond and looking around the small cave where she was hiding.  
  
"Yes? Mistress"  
  
The witch looked up at the creature hanging on the ceiling, among the many stalactites, with disgust.  
  
"Bring him to me" she said quickly trying not to breathe in and turning away her face.  
  
The creature nodded and its large black eyes reflected its mistress just one more second before becoming small dots in its furry face. It crept down easily and hurried to the entrance. Kerrigor stopped and looked back to its mistress; its eyes became large as plates again. It wanted to catch every single detail of her: her old torn robes, her long straight hair, her sea- blue.  
  
"Why are you still here? GO!" she roared and took a menacing step forward.  
  
Kerrigor squealed and started running clumsily into the forest.  
  
The witch watched the creature go. She smiled as she saw him jump high and grab a tree branch, starting to swing among them. She was pleased with herself as she observed Kerrigor's strong long arms that ended in blade- like claws. Its pitch black fur helped it camouflage in the darkness of the early hours of the morning.  
  
The witch turned back into the depths of the cave and, summoning an elegant old fashioned silver brush with a flick of her hand, started brushing her silky black hair. She walked slowly towards the pond but didn't look in. She started to hum and pace around the cave, never stopping to brush her hair. In between tunes, she cast a spell or two and her smooth white face filled with colour, her eyelashes became longer and curved elegantly, her eyebrows formed delicate arches over her deep blue eyes and her lips became deep red with rouge.  
  
As she finished, she threw her hair over one shoulder and looked into the pond, although she already knew what she would see.  
  
A face wrinkled with centuries stared back. A green and blue skin surrounded small beady eyes and hang loose around the thin line that was her mouth. Her cheekbones showed exaggeratedly and a vast forehead ended with little white hair.  
  
The witch took a stiff wrinkled hand up and examined it. She threw it furiously to the water, and turned away, walking fast as her long silky black hair swayed from side to side. 


	4. Chapter 4

POF-chapter 4  
  
"What?" Sirius Black exclaimed dropping his bowl of milk "What's her name again?"  
  
"Gabrielle Fortunic" Harry repeated "She said she err. knew you"  
  
Sirius didn't pick up the pieces of what had been his bowl. He turned around giving his back to Harry, Ron and Hermione, thinking hard.  
  
"Time makes people change, Sirius" Remus Lupin said to his friend.  
  
"Change for bad if she still believes in him"  
  
There was a pause, which Harry broke by saying:  
  
"Assuming 'him' is professor Snape, she still believes in him; professor Dumbledore told me they're going to marry"  
  
"They are going to what?" Sirius practically roared turning to the youngest people in the small room.  
  
To Harry, Hermione and Ron's amazement, Sirius started and insulting their Potions and Defense against Dark Arts teachers with words they never thought they'd hear coming out of his mouth in front of them.  
  
"Calm down!" Remus said in tiredly.  
  
"Why should I?"  
  
"What she does with her life is no longer your business, Sirius; is it?" Remus said.  
  
Sirius didn't answer. He took his time before saying:  
  
"I have to go now; I need to get some things straight before I travel north" Sirius said fixing the bowl of milk he had broken earlier with a simple hand spell "I might see you before that, Harry, don't worry"  
  
Harry smiled faintly at his godfather and wished him luck in his mission. He knew Dumbledore was distributing spies all along the places where Voldemort's allies and followers used to meet; Sirius, being an Animagus, was the perfect person for spying in the north, the most dangerous place, yet, where the most information could be gathered.  
  
In just a few seconds, Sirius transfigured himself into a large black dog and went out the back door of Remus' little house.  
  
As soon as Sirius left, Ron opened his mouth to say something, but was cut short by Remus.  
  
"I know; I know you want to know what's between Sirius and Gabrielle" he said "and I think I should tell you before you find out by yourselves" he finishing with a sigh.  
  
"Hmm." Remus said thinking about where to start his story "You know how Severus Snape and Sirius didn't. no, maybe I should start somewhere before that" he said.  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at him anxiously, eager to listen.  
  
"We, the Maurederers, didn't know each other until our second year at Hogwarts. It all started then, and it was your mother, Harry, who made it all possible. She was the one who knew us all, and she introduced us to each other. That's when we started becoming friends, and hanging out together. Gabrielle and Lily were Ravenclaws; James, Sirius, Peter, Martha Sullivan, an old friend, and me were Gryffindors; but that didn't really matter, we still saw each other a lot during classes. Since the first time he saw her, Sirius set eyes on Gabrielle; and, for some time, she did on him as well. In our fifth year, Sirius asked her out, and they were a nice couple for a while. I believe Professor Dumbledore has told you about what happened that fifth year..."  
  
"The Whomping Willow.?" Ron asked.  
  
Hermione gave a silent gasp while Harry nodded.  
  
"I suppose Snape and Gabrielle had started talking some time before that. It seems Snape told her and she got mad at Sirius. They both have a strong character, so they broke up. We expected them to make over, but they didn't. Gabrielle started hanging with Snape; she wouldn't talk to Sirius, and Sirius wouldn't talk to her either. Only Snape himself know what lies he must have told her about Sirius. They hate each other now, and I suspect Sirius never stopped thinking about her. We tried to convince Gabrielle of not listening to him, but they became best friends, and she wouldn't tolerate anyone who said her best friend was a liar. Now, I think it will be impossible to make her of change her mind, especially if she thinks it was Sirius who gave your parents to Voldemort."  
  
Remus looked down remembering his late friends.  
  
"Wow." Ron exclaimed.  
  
"So, professor Fortunic has no idea of what really happened?" Hermione asked although she knew the answer.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"We have to do something about that! We have to make professor Fortunic understand she's making a mistake." Hermione said.  
  
"You will do nothing of the sort" Remus said firmly "What happens between them is not business guys, not even mine. Gabrielle is an adult and she is responsible for her acts, even is she is not acting like what she is. I'm afraid we just have to ignore this and I ask you to please not mention what I just told you to anybody"  
  
The trio looked down and nodded.  
  
"We will not Remus" 


	5. Chapter 5

POF-chapter 5  
  
Gabrielle Fortunic stared at the large black dog that was not letting her get into her house.  
  
"What's wrong, pal? Are you lost? Do you want something to eat?" she said scratching behind the dog's ears.  
  
The big black dog wagged its tail and barked happily. It moved aside and let Gabrielle get into her house at Hogsmeade.  
  
Gabrielle let the black dog inside and closed the door. She took off her cloak and boots and headed toward the kitchen. She took some bread, butter and ham from the magically cooled cupboards and let the frying pan make a sandwich for her while she poured a glass of apple juice for herself and water for her guest, the dog.  
  
She sat on the floor next to the black dog, both drinking quickly since they had been thirsty.  
  
"So" Gabrielle said stretching her legs and putting her empty glass down next to her "what's the matter with you, boy? Are you lost?"  
  
The dog smiled at her. Yes, it smiled at her, a big toothy smile. You could even guess it was a mischievous smile. Gabrielle raised her eyebrows and laughed heartily.  
  
"I suppose you're taking a break from someone; but I bet such a charming dog like you is missed easily. What about letting me put some more comfortable clothes and taking you for a walk? Wait here. Stay." She said getting up and taking her sandwich.  
  
She started walking out of the kitchen but stopped when she saw the dog following her.  
  
"Stay! I know you know what I mean. Stay!"  
  
But the black dog refused. Finally, Gabrielle gave in and let the dog follow into her room upstairs. As soon as she opened the door, the dog rushed in and started looking under her bed.  
  
"Hey!" she exclaimed as the dog pushed a shoe box from under her bed.  
  
The dog barked happily again and wagged its tail furiously.  
  
"Those are just letters, sweetie; no bones, no meat" she said to it taking the box and putting it over her bed. The dog jumped up and barked at the box happily once more.  
  
"Hey! Down!" Gabrielle said trying to pull down the dog without success "They are just letters! You don't even know how to read, Dog!"  
  
The dog ignored that and kept staring at her, its tongue out, drooling.  
  
"See? Just papers" she said untying the strings that held the box securely shut and opening it.  
  
The dog sniffed the letters for a minute; then, it got bored and laid on one side of Gabrielle's bed, looking at her uninterestedly.  
  
"Humph!" Gabrielle said as she got inside the bathroom.  
  
She washed her hands and face, took a hairclip from the little colored glass by the washbasin and went back to her bedroom.  
  
"Ok, now let's." she started to say but stopped when she noticed the dog was gone, as well her sandwich and several letters from the box, although she didn't notice this last missing thing. 


End file.
